Neighbors want nature's best, not metal tower

Published: April 15, 2000 12:00 AM

A 60-foot tree on Mark Berg's property line is about ready to spread its leaves in welcome of another summer. Berg doesn't think it's going to help much, though, in screening out the communications tower built little more than 100 feet from his back door.

Berg and his neighbors along Pres Vannes Drive just west of Dalton mounted an opposition effort to the 250-foot tower constructed on adjoining property, but were stymied in their efforts.

Merlin Erb, owner of a 15-acre undeveloped parcel of land adjoining Pres Vannes Drive, said he is leasing a 40- by 60-foot piece of ground to SpectraSite Communications. The North Carolina-based firm is a wireless communication system development company that builds, owns and operates communications towers in the U.S., Canada and Brazil.

"We (looked) into anything we could to stop this," Berg said. "We (checked) all our options."

Options, however, were in short supply, he said. Officials at the local, state and federal levels all have said they are powerless in the matter.

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"With no zoning (regulations), our hands are tied," said township trustee Mel Wyss. "There is nothing we can do."

The county is in a similar situation, said Commissioner Fred Cannon. "There is no zoning in Sugar Creek Township, and as long as they don't infringe on lot lines, we have no authority to control it."

Officials at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Federal Communications Commission, among other agencies, say the same, Berg said.

Neighbors to the tower voice a number of concerns, citing aesthetics and reduced property values as their primary complaints.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see they've impacted our way of life," Don Dreher said.

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"I'm not adverse to business, to a person generating income off their property," Berg said, "but I don't think they should do that at the complete expense of their neighbors."

Erb said he understands their concerns, but pointed out the property has been on the market several times since he bought it about 10 years ago.

"Not one of the them called me about purchasing it," he said. Erb bought the property as an investment, he said.

"They are good people. I understand where they're coming from, but they need to realize this is industrial or commercial property now. I'm getting calls from businesses. This is my retirement fund."

The tower is located near the residential edge of the property rather than closer to the side bordered by establishments like the Dalton YMCA and Living Water Community Church or the side abutting U.S. 30 solely due to the lay of the land, Erb said. A SpectraSite geologist determined the location that would offer the best stability and transmission, he said.

A communications tower, Erb said, is a "clean operation - no trucks, no dust, no dirt, no smells." He's "not ruling out" building a home on part of the property, and wouldn't mind the tower in his own backyard, he said. Property values, he said, are not affected long term.

According to Erb, studies have shown there is strong initial resistance to the towers, but two years later it is much less of an issue. "It's a hot button for awhile," he said.

Erb is committed to a 25-year lease, renewable by SpectraSite every five years. The company is required to remove the tower if it is no longer in use.

County commissioners have received other complaints about the location of communication towers, Cannon said.

"The best answer for a township wanting to control this kind of thing is to pass a zoning ordinance," he said. "People in Wayne County don't like the word 'zoning' but there'll come a time when they'll love it."

The blinking light on the communication tower in his backyard makes No. 12 that Berg can see from his house, he said.

"This won't be the last," he said. "The point I want to make to people is that this can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. And you're stuck with it.